


Unusual

by beren



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: A/B/O, Alpha Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, F/F, F/M, M/M, Omega Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Post-Movie: The Old Guard (2020)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:53:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27778672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beren/pseuds/beren
Summary: Joe has never doubted Nicky's strength even though Nicky is omega and the rest of them are alpha, however, when Nicky is targeted because of his heritage, Joe will do anything to protect him.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Quynh | Noriko, Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Nile Freeman, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 54
Kudos: 470





	1. Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic I have been working on for months, writing a bit here and a bit there, and it is finally done, yay! I have never written A/B/O before, but it was such fun - I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it, even though it took so long. Thank you to Soph for beta reading the story - you're the best, dear twin.

Joe recognised the look in Nile's eyes as she watched Nicky pottering around the kitchen through the open door from where they were sitting. When she turned to him with a slight frown he was not surprised.

"Can I ask you a question?" was her opening gambit.

It was usually how conversations like this started. Nile had a curious mind and in the year since her first death she had asked a lot of questions. Joe had the feeling this one was not about guns or swords or history.

"Please do," Joe replied.

"Do you and Nicky need me to fuck off so you can have some alone time?" she asked. "Andy's not going to be back for a couple of days and I could make myself scarce. I mean we haven't had much of a break since, well everything, and Nicky hasn't had a chance to go off his suppressants for over a year. We had a couple of omegas on base and even in the army they were never expected to go off their cycle that long."

The warmth that burst in Joe's chest at that offer made him smile.

"Thank you, Nile," he told her, reaching out to squeeze her hand, "but Nicky's not on suppressants."

Nile's eyes opened and she glanced again at Nicky through the open door.

"But … I thought … sorry," she didn't seem to know what to say.

"No need to apologise," he said, "we should probably have explained. Nicky, my love, when you have a moment, could we borrow you?"

"Un minuto, per favore," came back.

"Um, that's fine, you don't need…" Nile was looking anywhere but at him and seemed to be contemplating a quick exit.

"Nile," he said, touching her hand again, "please, do not be embarrassed. It is best you understand this, we are family."

Nicky was preparing dinner and had shooed both Joe and Nile out of the kitchen about half an hour earlier because they had both been stealing his ingredients. Not since the first time Joe had met him had Nicky been what was deemed a traditional omega in any century, but he did like to look after those he loved whenever he could. Since they moved around so much this often came out in cooking.

Joe had seen so many people underestimate Nicky over the years because they found out he was an omega - every single one of them had lived to regret it.

"Dinner will be ready in two hours," Nicky said when he stepped into the living room a minute or so later, wiping his hands on a cloth and throwing it over his shoulder.

"It smells delicious already," Joe said with a welcoming smile. "Nile was just kindly offering us some time alone so you could come off your suppressants and I thought it was time we explained."

"Oh," Nicky said, "yes. Sometimes I forget Nile has not been with us centuries."

He crossed the room and folded gracefully onto the couch next to Joe.

"I didn't mean to pry," Nile said, clearly still at the embarrassment stage.

"It is not prying," Nicky assured her, just as Joe knew he would, "I am, shall we say, unusual."

"Divinely unique," Joe said, and placed a kiss on Nicky's temple.

He never stopped thanking the universe for the wonderful man he had been gifted who owned his heart. Nicky smiled at him in that indulgent, soft way he had.

"Romantic," Nicky said, before turning back to Nile.

"You don't have heats?" Nile asked at the encouragement.

"Not often," Nicky replied, "and I can usually control when or at least delay them until the timing is not a problem. When I was young I thought I was broken."

Nicky leaned into Joe and he knew that was his cue to take over for a moment. He was all too aware that that time in Nicky's life was still painful for him.

"Nicky had never had a heat before he met me," Joe continued the explanation. "That is how an omega ended up in the priesthood rather than being married off to a rich alpha suitor."

"My family were so proud when they discovered I was a rare and coveted omega," Nicky said quietly, "so you can imagine their shame when I matured, but no heat ever materialised. I was shipped off to become a priest because clearly the only explanation was that God wanted me for himself."

"Wow," Nile said quietly, "that's royally fucked up."

"For me the crusade was a way to cover my shame and finally make my family proud of me by dying for my God," Nicky explained. "And then I could not even do that."

"So is that why you kept killing each other," Nile asked, "because you were angry?"

"You misunderstand," Joe said, slipping his hand into Nicky's, "it was not like the great love stories, we did not run into each other on the battlefield and know we were destined to be together. I assumed Nicky was a beta because he did not give off any of the signals of being an alpha or an omega. It was several years after we met that Nicky had his first heat and we discovered we had both been keeping secrets."

"We were friends by then, travelling together," Nicky added, "but I still believed I was, as I thought at the time, incomplete. I was pretty sure I loved Yusuf, but I thought it was an impossible love. It was not just that I did not go into heat, I did not feel sexual desire. When I finally did, I am embarrassed to admit I was not even sure what it was."

"He went very quiet for several weeks," Joe said, placing his free hand over their joined fingers, "and I thought I had done something to upset him. I was already madly in love with my darling Nicolo, but as you can tell, our communication was not always the best. Then one day I woke up to find Nicky terrified out of his mind about the strange things happening to his body. They had told him he was broken, but never bothered to explain what that meant."

Nicky was blushing gently.

"I knew how to kill a man many different ways," Nicky admitted, "but I was entirely innocent of how sex worked. It was traditional in my region to keep omegas innocent for their alpha to teach them. Because of my status and how I ended up in the army, I was sheltered from it even there."

"Demisexual," Nile said.

It was not a term Joe had heard before.

"Demisexual?" he asked.

"It sounds like Nicky is demisexual, either that or just you-sexual, which given you two is a distinct possibility," Nile explained. "People who are demisexual don't feel sexual attraction until they reach a certain level of comfort/friendship with their object of affection. One of the privates in my unit was demisexual and explained it to me when a group of us were trying to get laid before deployment. She said it was like nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, bam please-fuck-me-now."

Joe shared a look with Nicky.

"That sounds familiar," Nicky said with a thoughtful nod. "I did not realise there were others of a similar disposition."

"Sexual orientation is a complicated thing," Nile said, giving them both a smile. "Like me, for example, mostly I like guys but there are a few girls that do it for me too. Never had a girlfriend though."

"Do you have a preference for type?" Nicky asked, clearly curious.

"Nope," Nile replied, "mostly I think that's alpha bullshit. If you fancy someone you fancy them, it's not like it's possible to tell who's alpha or beta or omega just by gazing at them across a room. Some alphas just like to think they're top of the food chain so don't want to risk having a relationship with another alpha. And the whole i-want-an-omega thing is like a status symbol or a fetish."

All of their team apart from Nicky were alphas and Joe was pretty sure Nile was right. Nicky might have a tendency to enjoy looking after the ones he loved when there was no danger, but on the battlefield he was as deadly as any of them. Andy and Quynh had been lovers for millennia before Quynh had been lost, two alpha females as devoted to each other as any alpha/omega pairing ever could be.

"Maybe one day the human race will evolve beyond such adaptations," Joe postulated.

"Hmm," Nicky agreed. "We have seen so much change already. In the future we may find ourselves fossils of a dead past."

"You're already fossils," Nile teased and Nicky laughed loudly.

"I feel we are being attacked, beloved," Joe said, doing his very best to sound stern, but it was hard with a smile trying to break out on his face.

"We are," Nicky agreed, "but our Nile probably has a point."

"If you are a fossil, my heart, you have been etched of the most perfect stone," he replied, deciding that grand was the way to go.

Any excuse to compliment his Nicolo was a good one. Nicky smiled at him and Nile rolled her eyes.

"Saps, the pair of you," she commented.

"Yes," they said at exactly the same time and Nile giggled.

"So," she said, "you will let me know if you need me to leave you two alone, though, right. Even if Nicky can control his heats, it can't be fun putting them off for too long."

"Thank you, Nile," Nicky said, "we will remember. It is not usually a problem."

~*~

Joe recalled that day, three months later when he was setting up for surveillance with Nicky and his phone rang.

"Get out of there now," Copley told him, "it's a trap. Kozak. She's after Nicky." 


	2. Target

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Copely's warning may be too late...

Sharp stabs of ice ran up Joe's spine.

"The others are on their way," Copley continued. "I'm sorry, I didn't see the danger signs until too late."

"Nicky, shut everything down, we're leaving," Joe told his husband. "Any details?" he asked Copely because he wanted all the information possible.

"I only know she has another backer," Copely said, "and she's specifically targeting Nicky. I'm working on more details."

"Should have killed her last time," Joe said. "I want to know as soon as you have anything."

"Of course," the other man replied. "Goodbye."

Joe shut off his phone. Nicky already had the directional mic and other equipment in the backpack they had brought with them.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Baited trap," Joe replied. "We need to move."

Nicky swore quietly, but didn't comment, just following him to the door. He checked the hallway, keeping himself between any possible danger and Nicky. While Nicky was perfectly capable of taking on most things himself, the idea that Kozak, of all people, was targeting him specifically, made Joe's blood run cold. There was only one reason he could come up with why Nicky would be the target and not the rest of them, and that was Nicky's omega status.

Whether it was because she thought he would be a soft target or something more sinister didn't matter to Joe. That she was after his husband was the only thing that counted.

"Whatever happens, we stay together," he said, catching Nicky's arm and looking his husband in the eye.

"Joe, what aren't you telling me?" Nicky asked, reading him like a book as ever.

"It's Kozak," he replied, part of him reluctant, but knowing that Nicky needed to understand, "she's after you."

He saw it the moment Nicky came to the same conclusion he did.

"I did not enjoy our last meeting," was Nicky's comeback, "shall we go?"

Of course Nicky was taking it stoically. It made Joe want to kiss him, but he was too anxious for that. He stepped into the hall, making his way quickly towards the stairs and the exit, knowing Nicky was right behind him. They were in a small nineteen hundreds style apartment building on the third floor and they made their way down quickly towards the lobby.

"No doorman," Nicky said as they came round the corner to the last flight of stairs.

Joe turned to go back up when there was a bang and a clatter. A gas canister bounced off the wall behind them and began spewing something noxious into the air. Joe took a deep breath and held it, pulling the gun from the back of his pants as he turned to see black clad people appearing from the main ground floor hallway. He fired, stepping backwards and motioning Nicky to go up.

The first bullet got him in the chest, forcing all the air out of his lungs. He stumbled as he was forced to drag in a lungful of the gas. A hand on his back, dragging him up the stairs was the only reason he didn't lose his footing completely. Nicky was coughing, but otherwise uninjured and Joe felt his wound healing even as he righted himself properly. The gas burned his throat, but he didn't seem to have got enough of a dose to do much more.

"Back," Nicky said and Joe nodded.

At least in the apartment they had taken over there was a chance they could defend it. Copley had said the others were on their way and there were too many goons for him and Nicky to chance going back down. There was also a fire escape. It was unlikely it would be unguarded, but it was worth a shot.

As soon as they got to the apartment, Joe dragged a table across the door while Nicky went to check the only other exit.

"Four on the ground I could see, dressed as tourists," Nicky said, coming back a couple of seconds later.

"Then we stay put," Joe decided and Nicky nodded.

They had limited ammunition, but a strong defensive position. With any luck the cavalry would arrive before it became too desperate. Of one accord they dragged the couch and the armchair into a v shape in the corner of the room and fitted themself behind them. Some protection was better than no protection at all. If the room was stormed, they were more than agile enough to extract themselves and take the fight to their attackers if necessary.

As Nicky watched the whole room, Joe sent off a very fast text of one word: "Attacked."

Nicky pointed to the door as Joe put his phone away. Listening he heard it too, booted feet. Joe lifted his gun and pointed it at the apartment's entrance. That was why the smashing of glass took him by surprise.

The apartment had two windows in the main room, the one that was part of the fire escape and another, small one. It was the smaller one that had burst inwards. That Kozak's goons were willing to show their hand outside the building was not what Joe had expected as he got another lung full of gas. He really hated gas. Sleeve over his mouth he kept his aim on the entrance.

There was a heavy thud and the door moved, but it bounced into the table. Joe did not put a bullet through it even though he wanted to because they needed to conserve ammunition. Even as his eyes watered and he desperately tried not to breathe in the noxious fumes around them, he heard gun fire.

"The others," Nicky croaked from beside him.

It had to be, there was no reason for Kozak's people to be shooting at themselves.

Joe let himself have a second to check over his husband as the gunshots got closer. Nicky had his shirt pulled up over his mouth, but his gun arm was dropping.

"With me?" Joe checked.

Nicky blinked at him, but nodded. Joe couldn't help noticing Nicky was not completely with it. Given how Kozak had been after him specifically it was possible she had tailored the gas to omega physiology. Usually such things were aimed more at alphas because most weapons manufacturers thought that's who would be more likely in the front line, but there was no reason it couldn't be done the other way. Different physiologies reacted differently to certain chemicals, science had proved that a long time ago.

However, if that was the case, Joe wasn't taking Nicky anywhere unless he was sure of their welcome. He settled in, eyes on the door and waited.

More gunshots, more bodies falling and then retreating feet. Joe heard more footfalls then, vaguely familiar ones, but he still kept his gun up.

"Joe, Nicky?" came through the door.

"Booker?" Joe responded, shocked.

"I'm coming in," the Frenchman said.

Joe stood as the table scraped away from the door and it opened, only for a very familiar blond head to poke into the room.

"Come on," Booker said, throwing him a small gas mask, "there are more of them around."

Joe passed the mask to Nicky and Booker threw him another one. The gas in the room was dissipating, but Kozak's team seemed to have more than enough of it. Nicky almost fell as Joe pushed the couch out of the way and Joe reacted instantly, grabbing Nicky under the arm and keeping him upright.

"Sorry," Nicky said and even muffled by the mask it sounded slurred.

"This way," Booker said when they made it into the hall.

The sound of more gunfire had Joe wondering if their exiled teammate had joined up with Andy and Nile. He was in for another shock when they made it back to the lobby.

"Quynh," Nicky said and he wasn't the only one with weak knees as Joe set eyes on their long lost companion.

"No time for reunions," was Quynh's comment on the moment.

However, Nicky had other ideas and Joe totally blamed it on the gas, because Nicky launched himself at Quynh and hugged her like his life depended on it. Luckily his legs seemed a little steadier or the pair would have gone down in a pile of flailing limbs because Nicky was much bigger than Quynh. The look of shock on her face was something Joe committed to memory.

"We need to leave," was the best comeback Quynh could manage and Joe repossessed Nicky so they could make for the exit.

Quynh led them into a side street to a small car. Booker climbed into the driver's seat, Quynh into the passenger seat and Joe made sure Nicky got in the back.

"You with me?" he asked, making Nicky look at him as they took their masks off and Booker put his foot down.

Nicky blinked owlishly but nodded.

"Little bit fuzzy," Nicky said, "but getting better."

Satisfied, Joe pulled out his phone.

"Where are we going?" he asked. "The others were coming to get us."

"Tell them to meet us at the Frederick Hotel, Suite 4," Quynh said.

Joe did not like how cold her tone was, but she and Booker had just rescued them, so he hoped that was an indication of their intentions. He typed out a message as quickly as he could and sent it.

"How did you know?" Nicky asked, which was a good sign in Joe's book.

"We've been keeping an eye on you," Quynh said in a way Joe thought he was probably not supposed to find comforting, but he did. "Sebastien was the one who nudged your mortal in the right direction."

"And you came," Joe said.

Quynh glared at him, but something deep in his soul thought it was almost forced.

"I am annoyed with all of you," she said, stressing the word annoyed, "but I could not leave you in danger, Sebastien would never have shut up.."

It sounded like an excuse to Joe.

"There's water behind the seat," was all Booker added to the conversation.


	3. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kozak is still an issue they all need to deal with.

The Frederick Hotel was fancy, but didn't seem to care when Quynh led three dusty, somewhat unkempt men across their lobby. How Quynh had managed to remain perfectly pristine Joe had no idea, but he was impressed. His gratitude at the extraction was currently warring with his confusion and the anger he was still carrying around about Booker. It was much duller now, time having helped, but it was nowhere near gone. The way Booker produced some painkillers and a glass of water when Nicky grunted in pain at the obnoxiously sunny suite they walked into, helped.

Joe had a mild headache going on, but as with the gas' original effects, his side effects seemed to be much less pronounced than Nicky's. It had definitely been designed to take Nicky down so he would be helpless to Kozak's games.

"Grazie," Nicky said, taking the pills and downing them, before folding into a chair and putting his head in his hands.

Joe sat on the arm of the chair and gently massaged the back of his husband's neck. His phone rang.

"What the hell happened?" Andy asked, pointedly.

"Booker," Joe replied, "and an old friend. Kozak hit us with a gas that seemed to be tailored for Nicky, they got us out."

"We're downstairs," Andy said.

"We're waiting in the suite," Joe replied.

"Coming up," Andy responded and the call went dead.

"You didn't warn her," Quynh said with one eyebrow raised.

"I think you need to see how Andy will react without having time to compose herself," Joe said.

He had seen Andy's pain and desperation over the centuries. Quynh needed to see it too.

It was a few minutes longer than it should have technically taken to reach the suite when there was a knock on the door. No doubt Andy and Nile had scoped the place. Joe shared a look with Nicky as Booker went to open the door. They were both ready in case of violence, but Joe didn't think they were going to need it.

"Booker," Andy greeted with a nod.

"Boss," Booker replied and moved out of the way.

Joe could see Andy's sharp gaze running over the room, taking in everything, and then it was as if the universe stopped. Usually Andy was hyperaware. Joe was sure it was because she had been alone so long that she had learned to rely on only herself. Yet, in that moment Joe was sure the only thing Andy could see was Quynh.

Andy walked in, silent as a cat. Joe saw Quynh tense, but she did not move as Andy strode straight up to her, eyes roving all over her as if Andy did not believe what she was seeing was real. The squeak Quynh let out when Andy did precisely what Nicky had done and enveloped the other woman in a hug might have been funny if it hadn't had the potential to erupt into violence.

"I've missed you," Andy whispered, voice cracking, and then she did something Joe had only seen on very rare occasions: she burst into tears.

The way Quynh's arms moved in an aborted gesture, it was obvious to Joe she wanted to embrace Andy back, but she didn't. Not that Andy tried to make her, in fact, Andy pulled back after only a moment, stepping back and wiping her eyes.

"You didn't come for me," Quynh said, but it sounded more like a rehearsed speech than a real conversation opener.

"We couldn't find you," Nicky said when Andy didn't reply.

"You stopped looking," Quynh accused immediately.

"We did," Joe put in, "Andy didn't."

Andy looked up at him sharply.

"Do you think we didn't know what you do when you go off on your own, Boss?" Joe said with a small sad smile.

Quynh frowned now, looking between Andy and Joe and clearly not sure how to react.

"But … but I still have dreams of you in the water," came from Nile, interrupting everything.

Joe had been wondering about that, Nile didn't have the dreams often, but the last one had definitely been about drowning. He and Nicky had found her in the kitchen staring at a running tap after it.

"It's always in my mind," Quynh said, which didn't really explain it, but it wasn't like anyone had an alternative explanation. "Anyway, it has no bearing on the current mess," Quynh finally decided. "This mad doctor is a danger to us all. We need to be rid of her."

"On that we are agreed," Andy said. "But I want to know how you knew what was going on."

Joe saw Booker's eyes flick to Quynh then and she nodded almost imperceptibly.

"We came across some information when researching another job," Booker said, "something Copely missed. It led us to Kozak's trail, but I didn't have enough access so we sent the information to Copely."

"You two have been doing jobs together?" Nile sounded surprised.

"We both needed some fun," Quynh replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"If you call dying fun," Booker muttered, which perversely changed Quynh's smile into a real one.

"Booker took some convincing at first, but he came round," Quynh said.

"What can I say," Booker replied, "you're almost as terrifying as Andy."

That actually made Quynh laugh. It was bizarre.

"And back to Kozak," Andy drew everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. "You have no more information?"

Quynh shook her head.

"None," Quynh said, "we watched and waited and closed in when she made her move."

"We should see what Copely's got," Joe suggested. "He said he was still digging."

Andy gave a sharp nod, pulling out her phone and putting through the call. Copley answered within two rings.

"You're on speaker," Andy said, placing the phone on the table.

"Using the information Booker sent I've found her," Copley replied. "I'm into her system. I know who her backer is, where she is, and what she's after."

"He's good," Joe heard Booker mutter.

"Enlighten us," Andy instructed.

"Her backer is another name in big Pharma, Raynings," Copley said, "but the good news is it's very back door and Kozak sold them a crock of shit to get the funding. Only one executive knows the real story and the funding is completely under the radar. Kozak is in charge of a small facility just outside Budapest under the guise of fertility research."

Joe did not like the sound of that.

"What's her real goal?" Nile asked.

"According to the records I found," Copley told them, "she was trying to use the samples she smuggled out of Merrick's labs to clone one of you. She couldn't find anything in your DNA to explain your remarkable abilities so she decided to try and replicate it instead. Her initial experiments resulted in two viable zygotes. She implanted one in a female beta and one in a female omega. In both cases the women went into traumatic miscarriage that nearly killed them, the beta in under a month, the omega in just under three."

"That's horrific," Nile said. "Does she need more samp…. Oh my god."

Nile looked at Nicky, clearly having reached the same conclusion Joe had come to. There was only one possible reason Kozak was targeting NIcky over the rest of them.

"She wishes me to be her incubator," Nicky said, voice calm and cold.

Joe could see a storm in his husband's eyes, held back with the greatest control. It was the only thing that stopped him exploding himself. He knew how much Nicky had once wanted children of his own, how his lack of heats had made him doubt his own worth. Immortality had taken that from him forever and it had taken Joe years to convince Nicky it did not matter. That the twisted notions of a crazy scientist wanted to use Nicky so cruelly made Joe, very, very angry.

"Send everything through," Andy said in a tone that could have cut flesh, "that bitch needs to die."

~*~

The fact that Kozak had found them, targeted them and planned to take Nicky might have suggested she was a good strategist or at least had one on her team. It turned out, not so much.

Looking at Copely's data, finding them had been more luck than judgement and targeting them had been a bad replay of Merrick's strategy. The only thing she seemed to have done a bit too well was targeting Nicky. Her gas had definitely hit him hard, although it hadn't been overly effective against the rest of them.

The idea they might be able to track her down as she had them, didn't seem to have entered her head. At least not seriously if the security on the facility where she was working was anything to go by.

Joe looked her in the eye and smiled down the barrel of his gun as the fire alarms blared around them. They had snuck in with ease. Booker had disappeared with explosives the moment they were inside (they were taking no chances this time) while Joe, Andy, Quynh and Nile caused chaos and set the evacuation of the building into motion.

Nicky was on a hill at a distance with his rifle. He hadn't liked it, but since he was Kozak's prime target Joe had happily joined the others in outvoting him on whether he was allowed in the main strike team. It was unlikely there would be helicopters or armed people on the roof, but Nicky was there just in case.

Not one of their team had a scratch on them, but all of Kozak's goons were dead. Her central lab had been fairly well fortified, but Copely had broken into the surveillance system, so the locals hadn't even seen them coming. They had learned the hard way how deadly a team of immortals could be when they weren't ambushed, drugged and scraping together an offensive with what was around them.

"Please," Kozak said.

"You targeted Nicky," Joe replied, cutting her off, gaze never wavering. "You caused him pain. You shouldn't have done that."

Without hesitating he put a bullet between her eyes. She had escaped them once. If she had left it that way, gone on with her life, he would have let her, despite what she had done to them last time. Continuing her twisted crusade was a mistake she would not live to regret.

"Time to leave," Andy said.

Getting out was as easy as getting in given the complete pandemonium going on at the facility. Booker looked very pleased with himself as they walked out pretending to be security, making sure any stragglers were clear of the building at the same time. Kozak might have been a bitch and her research incredibly dangerous to them, but they didn't want to take out innocent people with her.

The targeted explosion was beautiful to watch as they met up with Nicky before they piled into their transport. The knot of tension Joe had been carrying around since Copely had revealed who Kozak was after finally began to release. He wouldn't be happy until all trace of her research was wiped away from the virtual as well as the physical world, but he had to trust Copely for that. Their part was done.

~*~

The safehouse had only one bedroom, the living room and kitchen were one, and there was a bathroom off the living room. It was on the top floor of a building clearly designed for upwardly mobile executive types. It would have been perfect for one or two people, for six it was cramped, but they had had much worse. Not many had been as tense as this one though. 

While Copely worked his magic they had to lay low and this had been the only viable option Copely could arrange at such short notice. Their removal of Kozak had not been a quiet affair. Not quite as loud as Merrick due to location, but almost. Thanks to Booker and his interesting array of explosives, the boom had been big even if it had been very specific.

At least there had been time to stock the apartment with everything they might need. 

They were doing their best to settle in, but it wasn't exactly easy. Joe would have liked to take Nicky somewhere and make sure his husband was as fine as he was pretending. The information about what Kozak had wanted to do to Nicky, how she had wanted to use him, made Joe's skin crawl, so he knew Nicky had to have been affected too. Of course, Nicky was being calm and stoic and making sure everyone else was okay, since they were technically still in a crisis. Only once everyone was vaguely settled had Nicky excused himself to the bathroom.

Joe let Nicky have a little space, waiting to find out what his husband needed from him and hoping that peace would continue in the living room.

"Fuck!" repeated several times with the equivalent in several other languages was the first indication for Joe that something was worse than he had been hoping.


	4. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe needs to find out what's going on with Nicky

Nicky might have been from the Italian region and could occasionally explode like a powder keg given the right provocation, but it was so rare the sounds of crashing coming from inside the small bathroom were a shock to everyone, especially Joe.

"Nicolo." he called through the door.

The ragged sound of heavy breathing was all that came back.

"Nicky, you are worrying me," Joe added before a very distinct scent hit his nose.

For a moment his higher brain went fuzzy and he had an urgent and instinctive urge to knock the door in. However, he was not a slave to his instincts and pushed that down.

"Joe?" Andy asked from the other side of the room.

Under normal circumstances he would have put her off, made some sort of excuse to protect Nicky's privacy until they had had a chance to talk, but it wasn't as if the situation wasn't going to be obvious to everyone in the flat very shortly.

"Nicky's in heat," he said as the implications settled into his brain.

They were stuck. There was no way they could move yet. They had destroyed Kozak's lab and everything associated with her, but Copely was still dealing with the clear up. Until he was done they had to stay put or risk the authorities picking up their trail.

"Motherfuckers," Andy said, which Joe could not disagree with.

If he had been able to get his hands on Kozak and kill her all over again he would have, much slower this time.

"Nicky, please let me in," Joe spoke slowly and calmly, refusing to let any of the worry he was feeling into his voice.

The latch on the door clicked and he slipped through as quickly as possible. Nicky was leaning on the sink, eyes closed, body shaking. When he looked up at Joe another long string of expletives filled the air between them.

Joe stepped up to his husband and wrapped his arms around him, more than aware the righteous fury was a shield to the fear that had to be underneath it. Omegas were nature's backup plan, an evolutionary advantage for when conditions were hard that the human race had yet to deem unnecessary. Omegas nearly always had multiple pregnancies and could carry fetuses from different sperm donors at the same time. Having five alphas in the same place as one omega in heat was not a good thing even if three of them were female. It was harder for a female alpha to impregnate an omega, but just like male omegas had extra adaptations for carrying children, female alphas had the same for passing on their DNA.

Nicky might not have been capable of becoming pregnant because of his immortality, but that didn't stop his hormones from giving off signals that he was, or from alphas reacting to his state.

While Joe was pretty sure the rest of the team would control themselves and he would not have to shoot anyone, an omega in heat was very hard to resist. There was a whole section of the porn industry built around just that, although in those cases the alphas were all on suppressants and only pretending to be in frenzy over the omega. For Nicky it had to be a terrifying prospect, even if it was unlikely.

"We will figure it out, my heart," Joe assured him, feeling the fever heat of his husband's skin.

"It happened so quickly," Nicky said, face buried in his shoulder, "I could not stop it."

"The gas," Joe concluded, "there must have been something more in the gas."

Joe mentally cursed himself, he should have seen something like this as a possibility. Nicky had been far more out of it than Joe had been when they escaped the initial attack. He should have guessed there was more to it.

"I did not feel it coming," Nicky told him, pulling back, expression twisted in anguish. "How did I not feel anything?"

"She wanted you ripe and ready for her experiments," Joe said. "She must have used an accelerant. How do you feel?"

"Like I need you to fuck me right now," Nicky replied bluntly.

"And I will fulfil your every need as soon as possible," he assured his husband, "but other than that you feel well? Accelerants are illegal for many reasons."

Joe was relieved when Nicky nodded.

"I am fine," Nicky assured him.

"Then I have that to thank the universe for at least," Joe replied and leaned forward to kiss Nicky, although he refused to give in to his instincts to bend Nicky over the bath and fuck him there and then.

Heats came in cycles, but when it came to Nicky, they were usually drawn out. They needed somewhere comfortable.

"Can you hold on a few more minutes, my love?" Joe asked, breaking the kiss. "I will prepare a place for us."

Nicky's scent and pheromones were sending his instincts into hyperdrive and his protective urges were growing by the moment. Nicky's pupils were dilated and he was breathing hard, but he managed a nod at Joe's question. Fortifying his own resolve, Joe let go and slipped back out of the room.

He found Andy coming out of the bedroom with her bag. Since Andy had become mortal the rest of them had decided on a simple rule, if there was only one bed, it was Andy's no matter how much she protested. They healed, she didn't, so it only made sense. Sometimes they shared, but Andy always had first dibs.

"Bedroom is clear," Andy told Joe before he had to say anything. "Is he okay?"

Joe nodded.

"He didn't even feel it coming on," he replied. "Must have been part of Kozak's plan."

"We figured," Andy said. "What do you need us to do?"

"Just stay back for now," he said, "thank you," he added, able to focus on anything but Nicky just enough to remember his manners.

He grabbed his and Nicky's packs, walking into the bedroom and surveyed it. It smelled of Andy a little, but she'd only really been in there a few minutes to drop her bag off and then grab it again, so he ignored it. The bed was untouched, which was a blessing. Pulling off the over blanket, he moved the duvet back, curling it a little so it looked inviting. It was probably ridiculous, but it settled his alpha needs to provide for his omega.

Satisfied, he walked back into the living room. Nicky's scent was heavy in the air, but the other four were as far as they could get from the bathroom without sitting on the floor, so he had to be satisfied. There was bottled water in the fridge, he'd seen it earlier when Nicky had done his usual check of the cupboards. He grabbed two bottles, then grabbed a third just to be sure, along with a bag of fruit pieces from the sideboard. Nicky wasn't usually interested in food while in the grip of a cycle, but Joe wanted to be prepared for anything. He took it all into the bedroom and arranged it on the bedside table.

Then he went to his pack and pulled out the lube they kept there and placed it beside the other things. With Nicky in heat and so very needy it was unlikely they would require it, but sometimes it never hurt to have extra. He also wasn't going to object if Nicky needed to sink his cock into him either. It was rare during a heat cycle, because their instincts were geared up to Nicky doing the taking, but it had happened over their long lives.

It was less than he would have liked. Usually they prepared what Nicky liked to laughingly call their 'love nest' together with long practiced thought and care. Unfortunately it would have to do.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Joe stepped through the door once more. He needed to be as relaxed as possible. Nicky would pick up on it if he was tense and the last thing Nicky needed was more stress. The situation was already overwhelming.

He nodded to the others before quickly and quietly entering the bathroom. Nicky looked at him with desperate eyes and fever flushed cheeks and lips. Joe had to fight to maintain control as he took in his husband's needy state. Forcing down the desire to rip Nicky's clothes off, he smiled instead and held out his hand.

"Everything's ready," he said, pulling Nicky to him as soon as his husband took his offered fingers. "Is there anything you need before we move to the bedroom?"

For a moment Nicky buried his face in Joe's chest, just breathing, so he waited, patiently.

"Sorry," Nicky said after a few moments, "I keep catching their scent … it …"

"It unsettles you," Joe finished for him, brushing the hair back from the side of Nicky's face.

His husband nodded, giving him a tight smile of gratitude. Joe knew it was probably more than that, instincts could be a royal pain in the ass, but he didn't want to embarrass his usually fearless other half. An idea sparked in his head and he moved back a little, pulling the hoodie he was wearing up and over his head. Nicky was only in a thin t-shirt. Joe cursed himself for not seeing that sign for what it was earlier, Nicky usually liked layers.

"Here," he said, handing the garment to Nicky, "it smells of me. Should keep you centred until we're in the other room."

"Grazie mille," Nicky said, pulling it on quickly.

Joe did not miss the way he kept the hood up, but he was pleased as Nicky relaxed a little.

"I will stay between you and them the whole time," he promised and Nicky nodded.

The people in the other room were their family, even if some of them were a little more distant at the moment, but it didn't change the threat that they were alphas. Joe took one look to make sure everyone knew it was time before leading Nicky out of the bathroom. The scent of alpha interest went up instantly, hormones were hormones after all, but none of the others so much as twitched. With the part of his brain that wasn't snarling at them as a threat, he made a mental note to thank them all when the crisis was over.

He did not hurry as he calmly herded Nicky towards the bedroom. It took only a few seconds and he did his very best to hide the tension clawing up his spine, but he couldn't help the breath of relief when the bedroom door shut behind him and Nicky.

As soon as it did, Nicky pulled his hood down, looking around the room, his gaze sniper sharp, even under the influence of his heat. Joe's heart thudded in his chest waiting for his omega's judgement. When Nicky turned to him and smiled he couldn't help smiling back.

"Thank you," Nicky said. "Now, if you would be so kind, please fuck me."


	5. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe will always give Nicky what he needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that earns the fic rating ;)

"It would give me the greatest pleasure," Joe replied, stepping forward and helping Nicky to pull off the hoodie and t-shirt in one smooth move.

He threw the hoodie on the bed, the scent would make the clean bed more inviting once they got that far. That was about as graceful as they managed as they both quickly shed their clothes. As soon as both of them were naked, Joe moved in and took Nicky in his arms, pulling his husband in for desperate kisses.

Nicky's pale skin was flushed a beautiful pink, hot and sensitive under Joe's touch. Nicky moaned into Joe's mouth as their bodies lined up, flush in a way that spoke of their long years of familiarity as they fitted together perfectly. Joe was filled with desire and a need to see his amazing husband come apart with pleasure beneath his hands and his cock.

He moved them towards the bed as Nicky let him take charge. As soon as Nicky's knees hit the bed, they separated, but only for a moment as Nicky sat and scooted backwards and Joe climbed on after him, reinitiating the kissing. Joe came to rest over his husband's thigh, plastinging himself to Nicky's side, cock already hard against Nicky's hip, as they caressed each other.

Joe rested on one arm, brushing his other hand down Nicky's body as he bit at Nicky's bottom lip. His fingers brushed over Nicky's equally hard cock, drawing a needy whimper from his husband's mouth as he stroked over and down between Nicky's eagerly spreading legs. Moving his touch back what he found was warm wetness that made his cock jump with want. Nicky was already slick and made a small begging noise at Joe's first light contact.

It was hard to resist the urge to push his husband's thighs up and slide in right then as Joe's alpha instincts leapt at him. To distract himself he kissed away from Nicky's mouth, shimmying down his husband's lovely body, placing kisses as he went. He slipped one finger into Nicky's soft, wet hole, finding him already swollen and open. A second finger slid in beside the first with no resistance at all, as Nicky let out a light, breathy moan of appreciation. 

Nicky was so ready for him without any effort on his part at all. Not that that was going to stop him giving his husband as much pleasure as he could along the way.

He worked his fingers into the warm wetness, slowly and deliberately in a way he knew Nicky liked as he kissed down the planes of Nicky's stomach. His husband's cock was proud and pink and he did consider using his mouth on its delicious length as well, but he was all too aware how sensitive Nicky seemed to be. He did not want to overstimulate him too quickly, so he focused on sliding his fingers in and out of Nicky's needy hole. Every aroused sound he pulled from Nicky's sensuous lips just pushed him to entice more such noises.

He was enjoying himself, still very much tempted by the beautiful cock so close to his mouth, when the feel of Nicky's reactions changed. Need shifted to something akin to desperation if Joe was any judge, and he looked up to find Nicky had his hands twisted in the bedclothes beneath them.

"Please," Nicky begged, "I need you in me."

Joe's cock twitched at just the tone of Nicky's words. He didn't hesitate, crawling up Nicky's body until they were face to face.

"Like this?" he asked, leaning up between Nicky's spread legs.

"Any way," was his husband's desperate response.

There was no need for anything more, he already knew Nicky was more than ready for him. The accelerant had kicked everything into high gear and Joe lined himself up with Nicky's needy, wet hole. Nicky wasn't the only one moaning as Joe sank into tight, warm heat with absolutely no resistance. He had to hold himself still a moment as all his senses focused on his cock and the delicious pressure.

"Per favore," Nicky begged, moving his hips, trying to get Joe deeper.

Nicky was usually so controlled, even during his heats he usually remained relatively lucid, enjoying indulging his needs, but not being lost to them. Now though, Joe could only see fever and want in his husband's eyes.

Kissing down Nicky's neck, Joe thrust slowly and carefully, holding himself up on his arms over his beautiful omega husband. Nicky put his head back, eyes closing, making tiny little mewling sounds that drove Joe crazy. The heat of Nicky's feverish skin made his own burn with arousal. He could feel Nicky's pheromones pushing him into rut as his wonderful omega took his cock with gliding ease.

"Your beauty shines in my eyes," Joe said, unable to help himself. "It blinds me to all else. The beauty of your flesh, the beauty of your soul, it inflames me. I would give you the world."

Nicky opened his dilated, fever filled eyes, looking up at him with that rim of amazing, ever changing blue that Joe always wanted to record in words and paint every single time.

"All I need is you," Nicky said, biting his lip as Joe sank into him again.

As always, Joe could not help wondering how it was the universe had granted him such an amazing gift of this man for eternity.

He moved his hips, slowly but firmly, sliding deep into Nicky with each stroke, giving his love everything he had, drinking in the sight of him. Nicky was always beautiful to him, but at times like this he could not look away. That some mortal doctor had thought she could take that away from him, abuse the light of his life in the worst way made his blood burn. Her death played behind his eyes even as he stared down at Nicky beneath him. He was not a vindictive man, not usually, but he relished the memory.

"Yusuf," Nicky moaned.

His name snapped him back to the now as he breathed in his husband's needy scent and heard so much want in Nicky's voice. Nothing else mattered. He wanted to give Nicky everything. It was only as he felt the familiar ache around his balls and in the base of his cock that he realised things were progressing far faster than usual. This should not have been happening yet, but whatever had changed this heat for Nicky seemed to be pushing that effect onto Joe as well.

"My heart, how would you like to take my knot?" Joe asked even as he mentally cursed Kozak for her meddling.

"Already?" Nicky asked.

"You have undone me, my love," Joe replied, refusing to sully what they were sharing with any mention of that woman.

Of course Nicky had to know the real why, but he smiled at Joe's words.

"I would like to ride you," he said.

Joe pulled out and quickly flipped onto his back, taking himself in hand and stroking his wet cock, spreading Nicky's slick juices over the widening base. He also reached for the lube. They were moving so fast he wanted to make sure they didn't run into any hiccups.

"Won't need that," Nicky said, hungry eyes running up and down his body.

"Indulge me, my love," Joe said, covering himself quickly.

The moment he was finished, Nicky climbed on top of him. When Nicky was in the midst of a cycle he rarely liked being empty for long and Joe adjusted quickly so Nicky could bring them back together. Heat pooled in his belly at the sight of Nicky lining up and taking his cock in hand, ready to sink down. The anticipation made him moan and the feel of Nicky sliding back onto his hard dick left him breathless.

Joe held himself still, allowing Nicky to use him as he needed. It seemed Nicky was impatient, because after only a couple of perfunctory up and downs, Joe was left gasping as Nicky pushed firmly and deliberately on his forming knot. The debauched whine Nicky made as he seated himself, taking all of Joe in did not help his control.

"Fuck," was his drawn out and inelegant reaction.

Nicky had enough presence of mind to grin at him before he lifted himself up, groaning loudly as Joe's growing knot tugged at his rim. Joe could feel every moment as his beautiful husband pulled up and off, hole straining around his wide girth, before almost immediately pushing back down. Nicky had been right, he was so slick he was almost running with it as he opened up and Joe's cock slid fully home once more. A moan was ripped from Joe's throat as Nicky squeezed around him.

There was a reason they usually worked up to this. It took time to get Nicky ready to take his knot, time to make sure his amazing omega was open enough for all of him, but not now. Now Nicky worked himself up and down, opening wide on each stroke, taking everything Joe had and blowing Joe's mind for him. It was so hard to hold himself still as his hips threatened to lift off the bed, wanting to fuck up into Nicky as his husband came down. The last thing he could bear to do was hurt the beautiful man fucking himself on his cock.

However, Nicky’s movements were slowly becoming more and more frantic. Joe tightened his grip on Nicky's waist, trying to help, but his husband was quickly losing coordination.

"I … I can't," Nicky whispered desperately.

Joe sat up, stilling Nicky even as he pushed deep into him.

"I've got you," he said, bending his knees so that Nicky was braced against them.

"I need…" Nicky said, gaze alight with fever desperation.

"I know, my love," Joe promised, stroking across Nicky's sweat soaked brow, "allow me."

It was not easy, but he very carefully flipped them. His knot was already large enough that he didn't even slip out as he lowered Nicky back to the bed. It pulled and Nicky whined as Joe panted at the sensations, but they remained together. Not the easiest of resting places, but he managed to get them comfortable as Nicky wrapped his legs around his hips.

"I think maybe we need to take the edge off," he said, leaning down to capture Nicky's bitten lips with his own.

When he pulled back, Nicky didn't even try to speak, simply nodding at him. With that permission, Joe revised any plans he might have been harbouring and took hold of Nicky's so far, neglected cock. His husband was hard and leaking and his fingers slipped over Nicky's skin with ease as he stroked, testing to see what Nicky needed. The way Nicky pushed against him, grinding on his sensitised dick had his insides burning and throbbing. He was close himself, even after so little time.

Running his thumb over the head of Nicky's cock he drank in the sight of his amazing husband as Nicky panted and mewled, hips flexing in need. Subtlety was not remotely required at the moment and he used simple movements that he knew drove Nicky to the edge at the best of times as he made shallow little thrusts inside his husband's body. The sight, the sounds, the scent; he was having trouble keeping focus himself as they all drove him higher as well.

Nicky's cries became louder, more desperate by the second and all Joe could do was submit to his husband's feverish needs as he clung to his control. It was heaven and hell all wrapped into one fiery bundle.

When Nicky put his head back with a loud shout, shooting milky liquid all over his stomach, just the vision before him almost sent Joe over the edge with him. The way his husband clenched around him, squeezing his knot with tight, shuddering muscles left him no choice at all. Releasing Nicky's cock and bracing himself on both hands, he bucked, eyes closing as he came with a heartfelt grunt and moan. Waves of pleasure radiated from his core through his whole body and his inner alpha purred with delight as he claimed his beautiful omega.

He opened his eyes slowly, looking down at Nicky's momentarily content face, blue eyes still closed in bliss. It would not last, there was no let up in Nicky's pheromones to indicate the cycle was coming to an end, but Joe hoped he had a little while. His knot would take time to go down enough so he could properly fuck Nicky again, and he was more than aware that was what his husband would desire. He'd remain in rut himself, dick hard and knot going up and down at intervals until this first cycle broke.

Normally he would have taken over at a more opportune moment and made sure they were in a more conducive position to wait until they could be comfortably free of each other before going again, but everything seemed to be that much faster and that much more intense this time. He tried his best to make a mental note to do better during their next round of love making, but it was hard with such a vision of debauched beauty beneath him.

"How do you feel, my love?" he asked when Nicky finally opened his eyes.

"Bene," Nicky replied.

Joe leaned down to steel a kiss, heedless of the mess between them, he would deal with that later. No matter the challenges of this heat, he was determined to give Nicky exactly what he needed and more.

It had to have been at least a couple of hours later that he felt his cock beginning to soften as Nicky finally relaxed, spent and content. Joe gave himself a few moments to gather his wits after what had been a wild ride, before he climbed out of bed.

"Back in a moment, my heart," he promised before Nicky could react.

They were both a bit of a mess and he grabbed the nearest item of clothing, before dashing to the bathroom, returning with some warm, damp cloths. He was too focused to remotely take any notice of what was going on in the living room, and luckily no one made him try.

Nicky hummed his thanks as Joe gently wiped him clean. He had a small smile on his face as he lay there bonelessly. Well fucked was the only way Joe could describe Nicky and the very alpha part of his brain was preening.

"Nicolo," he said after drying his pliant husband as carefully as he had washed him, "I know you are sleepy, but would you satisfy my alpha heart and take a small drink before you drift away?"

Tired, satisfied eyes blinked up at him and Nicky nodded.

"Thank you, my love," Joe said, picking up the bottle he had already opened from the bedside table.

He helped Nicky half sit up and take a few sips. His husband was clearly thirsty and it took a while, but Joe managed to coax him to drink half the bottle before giving up. He decided not to bother with the fruit when Nicky closed his eyes and curled onto his side. Finishing off the other half of the bottle quickly, he climbed under the duvet and settled down with his husband in his arms.

Sleep was not guaranteed during a heat so when he started to drift off as Nicky fell asleep in his arms, he let it happen. Under usual circumstances, Nicky was much more likely to wake fast, but with his alpha instincts so high, Joe knew he could protect his husband if necessary.


	6. Caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicky has a somewhat unusual need when he wakes up after his first cycle.

Joe watched as Nicky walked up and down, gnawing at his thumb. He'd been doing it for the last twenty minutes since they'd woken up, like a caged animal, and he kept looking at the door.

"What do you need, Nicolo?" Joe asked, because he had hoped his husband's agitation would pass, but it was clear it wasn't going to.

Nicky stopped pacing and looked at him. Every line of his body was tense. It was painful to look at.

"I think I need to cook," he said in something of a helpless tone.

His heats brought out all of Nicky's instincts full force and usually Joe was fully aware this meant he would find himself lavished with food and other gestures of love and caring between bouts of intense lovemaking where he would take care of Nicky. He was not really surprised his husband was feeling similar needs now.

"But the others are out there," Joe pointed out.

Nicky's face scrunched up and he bit his lip.

"I think," Nicky said in a way that Joe suspected meant it pained him to admit it, "I think I need to cook for them too."

It was more than clear that Nicky was expecting Joe to object, and a small part of him wanted to, but it was very tiny. He stood up and walked around the bed, smiling as he ran his hand round the back of his husband's neck.

"Is that all? If that is what you need, my love, then that is what you shall have," he said, leaning forward to kiss Nicky on the forehead. "I shall go and make sure everyone is prepared. But, my heart, I would make one request."

"Yes?" Nicky asked.

"Perhaps, put some clothes on," Joe said with a small smile. "I fear our family's self control may only be pushed so far."

Nicky looked down at himself as if only just realising he was naked. During his heats, Nicky always seemed to discover an aversion to clothes. Joe had found him singing to himself in the kitchen while cooking on more than one occasion in only an apron and while he appreciated the view very much, it would be a bit much to ask four other alphas to deal with.

"Si," Nicky said, "scusi."

Joe gave his husband another quick kiss before reaching for his own clothes. This was going to be an interesting conversation.

He stepped into the other room, closing the door quickly behind him. If only they had been in a bigger safe house this would have been much easier. As it was the kitchen and the living room only had a counter dividing them. He found the others awkwardly watching TV.

"Need something?" Andy asked, looking up from where she was sitting next to Quynh, a little too close to be normal, but not close enough to release the tension that was radiating from both women.

"Nicky needs to cook," Joe said, deciding that straight to the point was the best way to go.

"For how long?" Nile asked. "I mean I love you guys, but I'm guessing you don't want us near the bedroom and I don't think I can spend hours locked in the bathroom, I will kill someone."

Joe hadn't even thought of that possibility.

"Actually," he said, "he wants to cook for everyone."

"And you're okay with that?" Andy asked, sounding incredulous.

Alpha's were notoriously territorial when it came to their omegas in heat. If he was honest, Joe was a little surprised he had not reacted more strongly himself, but he simply nodded. Nothing about the current situation was normal.

"As long as everyone stays away from the kitchen area, yes," he replied. "And if anyone critiques his cooking I may have to stab them."

It was such a crazy situation that he couldn't help trying to lighten the mood. The last thing he thought Nicky needed was everyone sitting there like someone was about to die, possibly permanently. Andy at least managed to raise a smile at his bad joke.

"We'll keep that in mind," she said in her patented dry tone.

"Nicky cooks better than any chef I've ever tried," Nile added, "I am never going to argue with Nicky's cooking."

Joe bowed his head and gave her a big smile for that. This was hard, but he really hoped it didn't have to be torturous. When he heard the bedroom door open he turned to find Nicky looking through a couple of inches of space, gaze dancing all over the room and back to him. Joe walked over quickly, doing his very best to be the calm, relaxed alpha Nicky needed at the moment.

His heat made Nicky vulnerable and Joe would always make sure he was his husband's protection when he needed it. He hated seeing Nicky so on edge. Usually Nicky's heats were a time they cherished, finding somewhere quiet to be together. Then all Joe had to do was be a shield between Nicky and the outside world, but Kozak had robbed them of that this time.

Joe took Nicky's hand.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

Four other alphas had to be setting off all sorts of alarms in Nicky's instincts, but Nicky nodded.

"Then the kitchen is yours," Joe said, putting himself between Nicky and the rest of the room as his husband finally opened the door.

Nicky was wearing his usual kind of sleep wear, soft sweatpants and a plain t-shirt. Padding across the room in bare feet, Joe kept an eye on Nicky and the others, although no one seemed to know what to say.

"Nicky," finally Andy broke the silence once Nicky was safely behind the barrier of the kitchen cabinet island.

"Si?" was his instant reply, although Joe did not like the way he tensed at Andy's voice.

"Any chance you can whip up some of those little chocolate cookies that I will literally kill for?" Andy asked in something of a pleading tone.

Nicky immediately lit up and Joe thanked god for Andy.

"Si," he said and actually smiled.

This safehouse had had to be arranged very quickly, hence the one bedroom, but Copely had been doing the arranging so it was fully stocked. Nicky had had long discussions with Copely about the perfect setup for a safehouse and Copely always came through when it was possible. The man had that going for him.

Joe leaned against the counter to the side, close enough to offer support, but also out of Nicky's way as his husband started to pull things from cupboards. Only minutes later wonderful scents started to waft from the area.

~*~

Joe smiled as Nicky threw together yet more food. They had already eaten well with Nicky whipping up the most amazing comfort food for them all from several different cuisines, as well as Andy's cookies, but it seemed Nicky felt everyone needed more. There was overcompensating and then there was an omega in heat. Nicky was stirring the vegetables he had just added to the frying pan when he dropped the spatula and staggered back a step.

"Nicky."

Joe was by his husband's side in a heartbeat. Nicky's skin was like fire and he made a small keening sound as Joe touched him. Mentally damning Kozak's soul to hell, Joe did his best to think coherently as Nicky's pheromones slammed into him, sending his higher thoughts to the four winds.

"Fuck," he heard Andy say.

It was not supposed to happen like this. There should have been signs, time for them to get Nicky back to the bedroom, but whatever Kozak had used was clearly playing even more havok with Nicky's hormones.

"Need," Nicky begged, "please."

Joe doubted Kozak could have realised what she was creating, because Nicky's scent and pheromones were far more potent this cycle than last. Usually Joe could think, he could make sure everything was as it should be, but not this time. His last iota of sensible thought was put to use turning off the gas under what Nicky had been frying, but that was it. He pushed Nicky down over the freestanding counter, face first, pulled down Nicky's loose pants and his own and slid home into warm, slick heat without the slightest hesitation. Nicky made the most needy, wanton sound Joe had ever heard in over nine hundred years and all Joe could do was give his husband what he wanted and needed.

He was peripherally aware of the others because of the danger they might pose, but most of his focus was on Nicky and Nicky alone. As Nicky moaned, pushing back against him he registered movement from the other side of the room, but it wasn't coming towards him so he ignored it.

"Holy shit," he heard Nile say, but he was too busy burying himself in his husband to care much. "Booker, please can I touch you?"

Something in deep, gravelly French came back, but his brain was too busy to translate. Joe lost himself in Nicky with barely a second thought. It wasn't until several hours later that sensible cognition made it back into his brain.

He woke up on the kitchen floor, spooned behind Nicky, still in Nicky, on top of the clothes they had been wearing, but had shed completely at some point. How they had come to this point he did not clearly remember as anything but a haze of sex. He was hard, but his knot was down, even though they were both covered in the evidence that he had come multiple times, as had Nicky. Joe had never felt so out of control.


	7. All Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe checks on the aftermath of his lack of control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my husband's birthday today, so I'm feeling happy and festive, so I'm posting the last two chapters this afternoon <3

As gently as he could, Joe slowly pulled out. Nicky made a quiet, disgruntled sound, but didn't fully wake.

"Sssh, my heart," Joe whispered in his ear, smoothing Nicky's hair as he spoke, "I must see to both of us. I will only be a moment."

Nicky relaxed again and Joe carefully pulled himself up on the counter they were lying behind. The living room was an interesting sight. Quynh and Andy were half on, half off of the couch as naked as Joe was, Quynh was sprawled, legs spread and Andy was between them, kneeling on the floor, head resting on Quynh's upper thigh asleep, almost as if she had dropped off while eating the other woman out. Joe could only see part of Nile and Booker where the pair were lying on the floor between the couch and the lone armchair, but they appeared to be equally as unclothed and out of it. Nile was on her side and Booker had his head between her breasts where she was holding him close.

Clearly all four had found their own solutions to Nicky's hormonal overload. The fact everyone also seemed to have gone to sleep when he and Nicky had was on the weird side, but everything was anything but usual thanks to Kozak.

Joe decided not to think too hard and walked quickly to the bathroom. He cleaned himself up and brought a warm washcloth with him back to the kitchen, gently wiping Nicky off, before picking up his husband and their clothes, and carrying him to the bedroom. It looked like it would be a while before Nicky was compos mentis again. Giving Nicky a kiss before pulling on his pair of sweatpants, he headed back to the kitchen and cleaned everything up. He had no idea if Nicky would feel the need to start cooking again, but the least he could offer him was a clean kitchen after he had totally failed to control himself.

He was the alpha, he was supposed to make sure Nicky was safe and cared for during his heat. Not that Nicky was usually this lost to his hormones. Joe felt like he had failed somehow. He knew it was ridiculous, but he couldn't help it.

"Please tell me there's coffee."

Nile's voice snapped him out of his contemplations and he turned to find her standing on the edge of the kitchen area wearing what looked suspiciously like Booker's shirt. He hadn't even noticed anyone was moving and he mentally swore at himself.

"I'll make a fresh pot," he said, grabbing the one that had been sitting on the side for who knew how many hours and dumping it down the sink.

"Holy hell," Nile said as he worked, "that was mind blowing."

Joe just hummed in the back of his throat, for once, not quite sure what to say.

"I've never been anywhere near an omega in heat," Nile continued to chatter. "Is it always like that?"

"No," he replied, pulling the coffee from the cabinet, "at least not with Nicky. This is different. Much stronger."

He turned to look at Nile.

"I've never lost control like that before," he admitted.

"Kozak," Nile said, an edge to her tone that suggested she was on the same page as Joe when it came to the dead doctor.

Joe nodded.

"You're doing a great job," Nile said, reaching out and lightly touching his arm.

He gave her a small smile, but he didn't feel like he was.

"Do I smell coffee?" That came from Andy.

"You do, Boss," Joe said.

The least he could do for Nicky was pretend he was the supremely confident alpha even if he wasn't feeling it.

Andy walked over to the kitchen without remotely bothering about clothes, although Quynh had pulled on a shirt when she followed her. Booker appeared from the bathroom a minute or so later and was wearing pants, which settled Joe's protective instincts a little. Logically he might have been well aware Andy and Quynh were a damn sight deadlier than Booker, but Booker was the largest and everything was not about logic at the moment.

"How's Nicky?" Andy asked as they all stood around with coffee, almost like a normal family gathering.

"Sleeping," Joe replied. "He's cycling much faster than usual and it seems to be taking a lot out of him."

"Should have killed that bitch slower," was Quynh's opinion on the whole situation and the others nodded.

Apparently they were all of a like mind on that point.

"Okay," Andy said after a minute or so's silence, "our turn to look after Nicky. Joe, you go back to him, he needs you there. Book, Nile, you're on food prep. Make something hearty that can stay warm for when Nicky wakes up, we're all gonna need it. Quynh and I will tidy the rest of this place up so it's livable again."

Something in Joe eased at that. Having Andy in command was simply the natural order of things and it settled him.

"Thanks, Boss," he said and she gave him a smile.

"We'll get through this," she assured him.

Finishing his coffee, he headed back into the bedroom to find Nicky had burrowed under the covers so only the top of his head was showing. With a small smile at the cuteness of the moment he slipped off his pants, pulled the duvet up and crawled underneath, sliding up to Nicky and spooning up behind him. Nicky made a quiet contented sound, snuggling back against him as Joe buried his nose in the back of Nicky's neck.

~*~

Nicky woke up enough to eat and drink and use the bathroom, but he seemed more than a little spacy. He was also agitated after returning to the bedroom from the bathroom until he finally went to the door and opened it. Joe didn't argue. If Nicky felt most comfortable when he could see and hear the others so be it.

Reading was next on Nicky's agenda, but he didn't seem to be able to concentrate, so Joe gently possessed the book and started reading it to his husband instead. It was an old copy of a science fiction novel he was pretty sure Nicky had read when it was first released. Nicky's taste in books was wide ranging and Joe had no idea how Copely had managed to stock the flat with little personal touches, but he wasn't arguing with it.

"Mind if I listen in?" Nile asked from the doorway as Joe read.

Lifting up slightly from where he was resting on Joe's thigh, Nicky shook his head with a small smile, so Joe was content to continue. Nile sat just her side of the doorway on the carpet, cuddling a cushion like it was story time. Joe couldn't help noticing Booker silently joined her a few minutes later. The way Nile reached out and took his hand was an interesting development.

Nicky's next cycle hit just as hard and fast as the previous. One minute he was relaxed next to Joe on the bed, the next he was moaning and clinging to Joe's leg. The pheromone high was even worse than the previous time and Joe had no will to argue with it. He shucked off his pants, rolled Nicky onto his back, pulling his husband's sweats off too, by which time Joe was already fully hard. He lifted Nicky's legs and slid home. Nicky seemed to appreciate his directness if the noises he was making were anything to go by.

Apparently Joe's instincts had discarded the others as even possible threats, because he wasn't remotely aware of them again until a while later when he had Nicky on all fours on the bed, facing the door and he looked up. Booker was flat on his back half in and half out of the bedroom with Nile riding him like her life depended on it. In the background Quynh had Andy bent over the back of the couch doing something that was causing Andy to make the most debauched noises.

Joe didn't have long to think about it, however, because Nicky pushed back on him demanding more and he had his hands full.

In the end Nicky had two more cycles, each coming on faster and hotter than the one before until finally, Joe felt the familiar break as Nicky's pheromones changed. They still drew Joe like a moth to a flame, but it was all about care and closeness as the edge of sex began to dull.

Nicky collapsed in an exhausted heap. Joe's muscles were burning and he felt tired, but Nicky seemed barely able to move. His husband had been burning so hot he had nothing left. Joe had done his best to make sure Nicky had all he needed, but he had a nasty suspicion that if Nicky had been mortal he might not have survived.

"Sleep, Love," he whispered quietly and gathered Nicky into his arms.

~*~

Joe woke slowly to the sound of hushed voices speaking quietly in a language he had not heard in a very long time. It was Andy and Quynh. Their tone was soft and gentle, nothing like the precarious truce after their fight against Kozak. He might not have been able to hear clearly everything they were saying, but he could feel it.

He would have lain there, let them talk, maybe gone back to sleep, but Nicky shifted slightly in front of him and his alpha instincts kicked in. He moved to check his husband, sitting up slightly to make sure Nicky was not in distress. Nicky's heat was almost over and Joe no longer felt the need to have sex and have sex now, but his need to protect and care for Nicky were still very much in effect and amped up.

"Need anything, Joe?" Andy asked and he glanced over in her direction.

She and Quynh were sitting together on the floor by the open door into the other room, wrapped in one blanket. Everyone had migrated into the bedroom over the last however many hours it had been, drawn like bees to clover. They hadn't tried to come near the bed or Nicky, so Joe had not objected, chalking it up to one more thing about the incredibly bizarre situation.

"No," he said, "thank you. Are you alright?"

Nicky might have been Kozak's target and Joe's central concern, but her meddling had clearly done a number on the others as well via Nicky's reaction.

"Maybe better," Quynh said in a tone that suggested she wasn't quite decided, but the way she looked at Andy told Joe a whole other story.

Some quiet swearing in French alerted him to the fact Booker had also woken up.

"Okay, Sebastien?" Quynh asked in a weirdly motherly tone - that was one relationship that was going to take some getting used to.

"My whole left side is numb," was the grumbled response, but he didn't exactly look too unhappy about it from where Joe was lying.

In fact, Booker appeared to be gazing at Nile while she slowly uncurled herself from his arms. Joe couldn't help wondering if the consequences from Kozak's interfering were going to simplify what came next or make it a hell of a lot more complicated.

"If anything drops off it'll grow back," was the best Joe could do to stop his thoughts going in circles.

He was in far too protective a mood to be thinking clearly. Booker gave him a one finger salute before sitting up, leaning over and picking up his discarded shirt and handing it to Nile, who had been the one to discard it, as she sat up as well.

"Thanks, Book," she replied with a small smile.

"We'll be in there," Andy said quietly as she and Quynh stood up, "give us a shout if you need anything."

Joe nodded and smiled his thanks, turning his attention back to Nicky as the other four moved into the living room.


	8. Ripples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can it simply be over?

Half an hour or so later, Nicky stirred.

"Welcome back, my love," Joe said as Nicky blinked and yawned in the most adorable way. "How are you feeling."

"Sane," Nicky replied, but gave him a small smile, "and hungry. How are you and everyone else?"

"Quite possibly better for the whole experience," Joe whispered and indicated the door.

It was still open and Andy and Quynh were sitting on the couch, still wrapped in their one blanket. Nile could not be seen, but there was the sound of the shower running, and Booker appeared to be making coffee in his underwear. It all felt surprisingly relaxed.

"Oh," Nicky said, slowly sitting up.

He had the most delightful bed head going on that made Joe want to kiss him, so he did. Nicky gave him a warm smile before stretching like a cat.

The way the duvet pooled around Nicky's waist had Joe reassessing his position on the sex being over. However, the way Nicky looked around the room, then through the door and back again hinted that his husband's mind was on other things.

"Also crusty," Nicky added, making something of a face.

Joe hadn't had time to clean them up before they'd both fallen asleep after the last cycle.

"I think," Joe said, climbing out from under the covers, "we could do with a proper shower. When Nile has finished, I suggest you and I skip the queue so I can perform my alphaly duties and make sure my beautiful omega is all freshened up."

Nicky shook his head with a fond smile and rolled his eyes.

"I am capable of washing myself," he pointed out.

"But where would the fun be in that?" Joe asked. "And would you be so cruel as to deny me the chance to take care of you?"

It was supposed to be a light, amusing moment, but Nicky's smile slowly sobered.

"You have given me such great care already," he said, leaning across the bed into Joe's space and placing a hand on Joe's hip, "that I could not ask for more."

Joe leaned down, running his fingers into Nicky's hair.

"I love you," Nicky said, gazing up into his eyes.

"And I love you," he replied, kissing his way down Nicky's brow and nose until he placed an almost chaste kiss on his husband's sensual mouth.

There were a thousand heartfelt and poetic declarations floating around his brain, but that was the single one he needed at that moment. They remained looking into each other's eyes for several long seconds and Joe thought he could see infinity in the blue looking back at him.

"Now I think we should stake our claim," he said and allowed a mischievous smile to play over his lips, "because I just heard the shower go off."

Nicky grinned back.

"We cannot use all the hot water," he said, typically worrying about everyone else too.

"I promise to try not to," Joe assured him and Nicky finally climbed out from under the duvet.

~*~

It was Nile who noticed first because Nicky was too busy making toast and eggs for everyone, even though it was four in the afternoon, Joe would have been the first to admit he was almost completely Nicky-centric at the moment and so was watching his husband, Quynh wasn't paying attention, and Booker was in the bedroom trying to find something to wear. Hence when Andy stepped out of the bathroom, naked as the day she was born because she had long since decided being bashful was a waste of time and she'd left Quynh with the blanket they had been sharing, Nile was the only one who looked over.

Nile's mug of tea bounced off the carpet. Which was what alerted Joe to something going on and he turned.

"What?" Andy asked, because Nile was staring at her.

"You … the … your," Nile said waving in her general direction.

Joe had seen Andy naked in many situations, but looked anyway. When he did, he swore.

"What?" Andy demanded, clearly annoyed now.

Not that Joe could blame her, neither he nor Nile had been particularly helpful.

"You scar, Boss," he finally managed to find some sensible words, "it's gone."

The pink and white patch of healed bullet wound that had been a constant reminder of the mess Merrick had made of their family whenever Andy let it be glimpsed was now clear, unmarked skin. It hadn't been that way last time Joe had seen their leader sans coverings. He had the most ridiculous thought that she'd just washed it off. Andy looked down at herself as if she didn't believe him. Not that he could blame her for not noticing, he doubted he'd voluntarily look at a reminder of suddenly being mortal either.

Joe had rarely seen Andy so completely at a loss. She touched the area and looked up at them as if she didn't know what to think. Of course, this was Andy, so her inaction lasted all of a couple of seconds before she walked to her clothes, pulled out a knife and slashed the edge of her finger.

"Sonofabitch," she said, eloquent as ever as she looked over at Quynh, eyes far wider than normal.

Joe couldn't see the wound from where he was, but Andy's reaction left no doubt it had healed.

"Does this mean I can shoot you now?" Quynh asked in the sweetest of tones.

Andy glared and picked up a cushion to throw at her head.

When Joe looked over at Nicky there were tears in his husband's eyes. He reached out his hand and Nicky took it. Joe decided that just maybe Kozak might not deserve eternal damnation, just a few thousand years for what she had done if this was one of the outcomes.

~*~

Andy's phone rang three days later, letting them know they were safe to move. Over those three days they had all done their best to relax and take stock. It was more than clear there were still issues, but they had apparently unanimously decided that dealing with any of them while stuck in the flat would be a big mistake.

Nicky had possessed the kitchen and refused to let anyone else so much as chop a vegetable, but then, given the delights he'd managed to produce with their slowly dwindling supplies, no one complained. It had all begun to feel kind of normal and right, which was why Booker's reaction to the news of their impending freedom was something of a surprise.

"I should be going then," the Frenchman said about five minutes after Copely's phone call.

While Joe still harboured some resentment towards the younger immortal he hadn't expected that. The way Booker tended to gaze at Nile like she had hung the moon when he thought no one was looking was kind of telling. No one else had expected it either from the looks on their faces. However, it was Nicky who reacted first. He walked over to Booker, cuffed him up the side of the head and began ranting in Italian. 

He called into question Booker's intelligence, his parentage, his sexual prowess and several other aspects of his person, all in exquisite detail. Joe was impressed. When he'd finished that he loudly explained how if Booker dared break Nile's heart he would eviscerate and castrate him while he was still alive, all the while gesticulating wildly. Joe was reminded of the angry, whirlwind he had first met on the battlefield so many centuries ago. It was quite a thing to behold and Booker looked completely shellshocked, even though Joe was pretty sure Nicky was ranting so fast the Frenchman only got half of what he was saying.

Then to round up, Nicky called Booker an idiot in eight different languages before enveloping him in a hug that would have made an octopus proud. Joe was familiar with those kinds of hugs, usually he was only ever on the receiving end of one quite like that if he had managed to get himself killed in a particularly nasty way, or he and Nicky had had to be apart for any amount of time.

"Glad that's settled then," Andy commented, which made Quynh laugh like she was slightly unhinged, which was still a distinct possibility.

"Anyone care to translate?" Nile asked.

Nile had been learning quite a lot of Italian and Arabic, but Nicky had been speaking so fast and in his distinct dialect that a native speaker would have had trouble.

"Nicky told Booker not to be an idiot," Joe said simply, "but in an Italian way."

"Never seen him this excited before," Nile commented.

"He's hormonal," Joe said, smiling sweetly when Nicky gave him a very pointed look.

He was so going to pay for that comment later and he was looking forward to it. While he cherished Nicky's heats he preferred it when Nicky was much less pliable. Contrary to popular wisdom, having been in heat did not ever put Nicky off sex, in fact it was the opposite. They were usually more sexually active after his heats than most of the rest of the time. When Nicky chose to fuck his brains out to prove a point, Joe was going to enjoy every second.

"That's it, we're going to the house in Norway," Andy decided. "It's remote, has plenty of rooms, thick walls and lots of space so we can all work out whatever shit we need to. No one, and I'm looking at you two, is having sex until we get there, because I am not bailing anyone out and everyone's boundaries are completely fucked."

Joe thought Quynh might object for a second or so, but she just nodded along with everyone else. It seemed old habits died hard, even after hundreds of years apart.

Given the way Nicky was looking at him, Joe thought he might be paying for his comment with a severe case of blue balls by the time they reached Norway. Nicky was a sniper, he was a patient bastard and Joe knew he was in trouble. 

When they finally got to Norway the sex was going to be epic. He'd worry about the rest of their screwed up little family once he could walk again.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading - I hope you have enjoyed the story. Best wishes to all.

**Author's Note:**

> Me elsewhere on line:  
> [NatashaDuncanDrake](https://www.wattpad.com/user/NatashaDuncanDrake) on Wattpad  
> Natasha Duncan-Drake (multi-genre) and Virginia Waytes (adult paranormal romance) at all your favourite online book retailers for original fiction - some of it free to download.  
> [@beren_writes](https://twitter.com/beren_writes) & [@VirginiaWaytes](https://twitter.com/VirginiaWaytes) on Twitter  
> [TashaDDrake](https://www.pillowfort.social/TashaDDrake) on Pillowfort  
> Virginia Waytes as narrator of the [Sexy Stories Podcast](https://virginiawaytes.podbean.com/) \- free serialised paranormal/fantasy erotic romance podcast centring on the adventures of the supernatural residents of The Manor, a members-only adult club, with other erotic short stories during season breaks.


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